ABIDJAN: On Monday, October 24, the Minister of Tourism, Siandou Fofana, initialed, a Framework Agreement for Technical Cooperation with Dr. Thierry Wandji, CEO of Cybastion. This is in a quest to achieve the continental leadership objectives of the national tourism development strategy. With this, the Ivorian tourist destination reaffirms its ambition to be on the same level in the paradigms of Tourism 3.0 to boost its attractiveness.
With the objectives and challenges of digital transformation and the promotion of the tourism recreational ecosystem in Côte d’Ivoire, the contract between the Ivorian Government and the American company aims to strengthen the attractiveness of the Côte d’Ivoire destination. This will improve the competitiveness of the Ivorian tourism sector, and develop good practices to international standards in Ivorian tourism.
In her introductory address, Ms. Leila N’Diaye, Senior Vice-President, Business Strategy & Government Affairs of Cybastion, highlighted that “The desired impact of the contract was to unleash the productivity potential of the economy, while creating the conditions for the emergence of a digital economy, by the digitalization of its services through the expertise of Cybastion”.
Minister Siandou Fofana, Ivorian Tourism Minister and Chairman of the Executive Board of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Regional Commission for Africa of the United Nations Specialized Agency, said
“this partnership is in line with the spirit and letter of the theme of “Rethinking Tourism” that the global tourism governing body puts at the center of its concerns. This strategic pact should provide the Ivorian destination with a real incubator, capable of supporting the “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire” strategy”.
Minister Siandou Fofana, Ivorian Minister of Tourism
According to the vision of the Minister of Tourism, there is an undeniable opportunity to bring out promotional concepts, software solutions, digital applications, etc., which are likely to surprise more than one foreign tourist. Therefore, if the Ivorian destination wants to consolidate its leadership and ambitions in the long term, of being among African Top 5 destinations with 5 million tourists by 2025, it will also have to be a hub for regional digital tourism. With the Internet now the reference for preparing trips and excursions, having the “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire” embark on the digital train, would set it up to capitalize on the gains of the Web”.
“Our mission is to support African countries in projects to digitize government services and provide them with state-of-the-art infrastructure to secure their networks and train their executives. We will provide digital solutions adapted to the needs of the Ivorian tourism sector. This framework agreement sets the tone for future engagements in line with the digitalization strategy of the Ivorian government, which we are happy to be a part of”.
CEO of Cybastion, Dr. Thierry Wandji
The signing ceremony was held in the presence of representatives of the Embassy of the United States in Côte d’Ivoire and members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Côte d’Ivoire. The signature comes as part of trade cooperation efforts between Côte d’Ivoire and the United States to promote digital transformation.
Author: Emana Shunnom is Cybastion's Senior Policy Manager with extensive experience working with the Federal Government of Nigeria and the U.S. In her role, she leads projects at the intersection of policy, technology, and government relations and manages communication and outreach efforts for Cybastion's Business Strategy and Government Affairs department.
